On November 26, 2023, at approximately 2:18 a.m., 41-year-old Long Beach resident Andre McClendon was fatally shot near the 1700 block of Pine Avenue. According to the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD), McClendon was approached by several male suspects who shot him in the upper body before fleeing the scene in a vehicle. Despite immediate medical attention from responding officers and Long Beach Fire Department personnel, McClendon succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Following an extensive investigation, LBPD homicide detectives, with assistance from the LBPD SWAT Team and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Special Enforcement Bureau, executed search warrants on March 7, 2024, in Long Beach, Compton, and Lancaster. These operations led to the arrest of five individuals connected to McClendon's murder. The suspects arrested include:
- **Jose Ramos**, a 20-year-old male resident of Lancaster, apprehended in Compton;
- **Adonis Reese**, an 18-year-old male resident of Long Beach, arrested at his residence;
- **Joshua Spencer-Morgan**, a 20-year-old male resident of Long Beach, taken into custody at his home;
- **Emily Castaneda**, a 20-year-old female resident of Compton, arrested at her residence;
- **Angelica Esquivel**, a 24-year-old female resident of Long Beach, apprehended at her home.
Ramos, Reese, and Spencer-Morgan were each booked on charges of murder, with bail set at $2 million. Castaneda and Esquivel were booked as accessories to murder and arson, with bail amounts of $50,000 each. Detectives have indicated that the motive behind McClendon's murder appears to be gang-related. The case was scheduled to be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for filing consideration in the week following the arrests.
The LBPD continues to urge anyone with additional information regarding this incident to contact Homicide Detectives Oscar Valenzuela or Leticia Gamboa at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips can be submitted through "LA Crime Stoppers" by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the "P3 Tips" app, or visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.
